Lululemon Love

I think that if there was a sudden requirement for me to wear fitness apparel all the time that I would be the happiest woman in the world, because I automatically gravitate towards fitness apparel on a daily basis. I am not a business casual person, nor am I into wearing jeans and a t-shirt look when I need to run to the grocery store for something, I have a tendency to throw on capris or booty shorts (if I am not already wearing them) and a sporty tank. Of course I live in Los Angeles which is blessed with glorious weather the majority of the time, plus I tend to run hot.IMAG1292<a
Over the years I have remained loyal to certain brands which seem to fit my body well. In sports bras, I prefer Champion and Under Armour, I love the fit and wear of Nike, Under Armour, Champion and Dcore capris, my favorite booty shorts are made by New Balance, and I love Dcore tank tops. When I began working in the fitness industry back in 2009, I was surprised to hear fitness folks sing the praises of Lululemon apparel like it was the best stuff ever. After I heard how expensive their items were, I shied away from them.

I finally went to a Lululemon store last week for the very first time, and now can honestly say I understand what the hype is all about. The quality of Lululemon garments is exceptional, from the fabric to the stitching, fit, and little details which set them apart from other fitness clothing companies. I am not a fan of the sport bras and find that I am between sizes in this brand, a fact which I find quite odd. Everything else fits like a dream though! As a result of my shopping trip, I am now addicted to Lululemon and have been living in Lululemon garments for the past week.

I honestly love Lululemon!

http://shop.lululemon.com

My Education Never Stops

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For those of you who think that physicians are done with educational pursuits once they complete the rigors of medical school and residency, think again. We must complete continuing medical education credits (aka CME’s) for the length of our medical careers. This means that we must attend conferences and seminars, take online courses, complete quizzes in medical journals and take recertification exams to retain our board certification. Such CME’s aren’t cheap either. The average cost of each credit hour is $25, so when you multiply that by the 150 hours required in each three year cycle for board certified physicians like me, $3,750 has flown out of your wallet, and that doesn’t take into account the association dues for the governing sites which offer the most desirable and relevant CME credits.

Today I decided to chisel away at my ongoing requirements and took two online CME courses. The first was on diabetic foot ulcers and was quite graphic and disgusting, but since I am required to know how to treat this condition, I tolerated the images which flashed on the computer screen. I then took a course on gastrointestinal disorders which was far less graphic but yielded valuable information which was a great review for me. At the end of my two hour review, I received two CME credit hours which will be counted toward the 150 total hours I will need to accumulate by the end of 2015. I wish I could do most of my CME credits online, but there are limits on online coursework. What that basically means is that I am forced to participate in live courses, which means that I must figure out what courses my schedule will accommodate. In addition, live courses are significantly more expensive. I was investigating medical conferences yesterday and discovered that one major conference would set me back by $1,400 just for the registration alone! Since I cannot afford that conference, I must get creative and find other options which aren’t nearly as expensive.

I research CME opportunities every few months for the most respected and accessible opportunities, so I feel confident that I will find cost-effective ways of fortifying my medical knowledge while fulfilling my CME credits before the end of the current cycle. Since I also recently obtained an NAFC Nutrition Coach Certification, I will need to keep up on CEC’s for that as well. Oh, the learning never ends!